Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-05-17

tnuJ lne enuS Oh ~ HuilB oNci tho blueS VI lil'
litter, and no Ind a hooked nose, above which
flashed out pair OF eyes as keen as a snakes
whilo his whole countenance was instinct
with look OF wise and sardonic humor i'm
possible to describe on paper.
"Art thou awake, strangerr he said, in {
deep and low voice.
"Surely, my father" answered, courte
ously, feeling certain that should do well t.
conciliate this ancient Manmon Of Upright
eousness.
Ho stroked his beautiful white beard and
smiled family.
"From whatever country thou CONTEST" he
said, "nnd, by the way, it must be from one
where somewhat of ouR language is known
they teach their children courtesy there, my
stranger son. And now wherefore comest
thou unto this land, which scarce an alien
foot has pressed from the time that man
knowethi Art thou and those with thee weary
of lifer
"We came to find new things" answered,
boldly. ave are tired of the old things; we
have come up out of the sea to know that
which Is unknown We are of a brave race
who fear not death, my very much respected
father--that is, if we can get little fresh in
formation before we die"
"Humph p said the old man; "that may be
true, it Is rash to contradict, otherwise
should say that thou vast lying, my son.
However, dare say that She-who-mustb be-
obeyed will meet thy wishes in the matter"
"Who is She-who must-be-obeyedP i asked
curiously.
The old man glanced at the bearers and
then answered, with smile that somehow
sent my blood to my heart.
"Surely, my stranger son, thou wilt learn
soon enough, II 1t be her pleasure TO soc thee
at all in the flesh"
AIN the fieshlg answered. "What may
my father wish TO conHeyP
But the old man only laughed dreadful
laugh, and made no reply
"What is the name Of my fathers pcoplcF'
asked.
@The name of my people is AmahaggerH
1he People of the RoclSs).
"And il son might asst, what is the name
OF my fatherP
"My name is Billali." 81
"And whittier go we, my fatherP
"That thou shalt see;" and at n sign from
him the bearers started forward at run till
they reached the litter in which Job was re-
posing with one leg hanging over the sidel.
Apparently, however, he could not make
much of Job, for presently saw his bearers
trot forward TO Leo's litter.
And after taat, as nothing fresh occurred,
yielded to the pleasant swaying motion Of
the litter and went to sleep again. | was
dreadfully tired. When / woke 1 found that
we were passing through a rocky deflle of q
lava formation with PERCEPTIONS sides, in
whil:h grew many beautiful trees and flower
ing shrubs.
Presently this deHle took turn, and a
lovely sight unfolded itself to my eyes, Be-
fore us was vast cup of green, from four to
six miles In extent, shaped like a Roman
amphitheatre The sides of this great cup
were rocky and clothed with bush, but the
center was OF the richest meadow land,
studded with slngle trees Of magnificent
growth, and waiered by meandering streams.
On this rich plain grazed herds Of goats and
cattle, but saw no sheep. At first l could
not imagine what this strange spot could be.
but presently it flashed upon me that 1t must
represent the crater Of some long extinct
volcano, which had afterward been lake,
and was ultimately drained in some unex-
planned way. And here l may state that,
from my subsequent experience OF this and
n much larger but otherwise similar spot, that
shall have occasion to describe by and by, l
havo every reason TO believe that this con-
clusion was correct What puzzled me, how
ever, was that. although there wero people
moving about herding the goats and cattle, l
saw no signs OF any human habitation. Where
did they all livel wondered. My curiosity
was destined soon to be gratifed. Turning
NoN Iaff gf III nf fol
cliffy sides of the crater for distance. OF
about half a mile, or perhaps little less, and
then halted. Seeing the old gentleman, my
adopted "father," Billnli emerge from his
litter, / did the same, and so did Leo and job.
The first thing | saw was our wretched Arab
companion, Mahomed, lying exhausted on
the ground. 1t appeared that he had not been
provided with litter, but had been forced to
run the entire distance, and as he was already
quite worn out when We started, bis condition
now was one of great prostration.
On looking round we discovered that the
place where we had halted was platform in
front of tho mouth of great cave, and piled
upon this platform were the entire contents Of
the whaleboat, even down to the oars and sail.
Round the cave stood groups OF the men who
had escorted us, and other men of q similar
stamp. They were all tall and all handsome,
though they varied in their degree of darkness
Of skin, some being as dark as Mahomed and
some as yollow as q Chinese. They were
naked, except for the leopard skin round the
waist, and each of them carried n huge spear.
There were also some women among them,
who, instead OF the leopard skin, wore tanned
hide of a small red buck, something like the
oribe, only rather darker in color. These
women were, asa class, exceedingly good look
ing, with large, dark eyes, well cut features,
and a thick bush OF curling hair-not crisped
like a negros-and ranging from black Ia
chestnut in hue with all shades of interme-
diate color, Some, but very few Of
them, wore a yellowish linen garment
such as l have described as worn by
Ballali, but this, as we afterward dis
covered, was a mark of rank rather
than an attempt at clothing. For tho rest,
their appearance was not quite so terrifying
as that of the men, and they sometimes
though rarely, smiled. As soon as we had
nlighted they gathered round us, and exam
, ined us with curiosity, but without excite
ment. Leos tall, athletic form and clear cut
Grecian face, however, evidently excited theil
attention, and when he politely lifted his hal
to them and showed his curling yellow hair
there was a slight murmur of admiration
Nor did it stop there; for, after regarding
MIN critically from head to foot, the hand
soonest OF the young women-one wearing {
robe, and with hair of a shade between BROW
and Observation-Disclosures advanced TO him
and in a way that would have been winning
had it not been so determined, quietly put
her arm round his neck, bent forward, ant